# John Rider's Infusion Experiment



## JohnR (Apr 1, 2007)

A couple of weeks ago I put some rather ho-hum cigars in a coffee can with a shot of Makers Mark. Tonight I pulled one out to see how they are doing. The cigar has definitely picked up a lot of the infused flavor. Very interesting. I will let these go another couple of weeks and see how they change. Very low tech Makers Mark cigars! Worth a try with your favorite libation...maybe a coffee liquor next? Anyone else played around with this?


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## Labman (May 27, 2007)

I haven't tried this...but I'm gonna! Cool idea man.


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## MattLamb (Jun 5, 2007)

Thats really cool, still waiting for 21 . It will be interesting to see the outcome.


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## forgop-cl (May 7, 2007)

How do you think they'd turn out if you put in a shot glass of beer?


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## JohnR (Apr 1, 2007)

A shot of beer would probably disappear and be replaced by an "experiment" of its own! Beer oxidizes and is perfect for growing bacteria, mold, and small invertabretes. Better to stick with something that has a high ethanol content.


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## Architeuthis (Mar 31, 2007)

Hey! What about using Makers Mark cigars and a glass of water? <G> We could have a money machine here!


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## Labman (May 27, 2007)

architeuthis said:


> Hey! What about using Makers Mark cigars and a glass of water? <G> We could have a money machine here!


:lol:


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## stiff (Jun 5, 2007)

Great idea. I'll definately have to try this... I wonder how it would work with some Patron?


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## JohnR (Apr 1, 2007)

My infused cigar has a very perceptible sweetness. It isn't like any flavored cigar I have had, but it does add a different flavor to the cigar...the flavor is definitely there, but it doesn't completely dominate. I would say it is a plus for these cigars, which were pretty bland to start with. If you are curious, they were the Rocky Patel Connecticuts made just for CI. Not the Vintage Connecticuts...those are probably much better.


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## JohnR (Apr 1, 2007)

I wonder what plain old coffee beans would do? Put a cup full of nice oily black expresso beans in - maybe with a libation? That might be good.


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## JohnR (Apr 1, 2007)

stiff said:


> Great idea. I'll definately have to try this... I wonder how it would work with some Patron?


That sounds great! Rum might also be an interesting choice.


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## Labman (May 27, 2007)

JohnRider said:


> I wonder what plain old coffee beans would do? Put a cup full of nice oily black expresso beans in - maybe with a libation? That might be good.


Irish coffee might be a great choice. I'm not a coffee drinker, but I love the smell and I love coffee flavored items. I might have to try this sometime.  :redface:


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## kass (May 16, 2007)

Cool idea man!


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## JohnR (Apr 1, 2007)

I guess just about anything would work, and it is all about what YOU might like to infuse the cigar with. So, if you have some mediocre cigars laying around that you might not otherwise get around to smokin, give it a shot. I'd plan on leaving them sealed up in a container for at least a couple of weeks.


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## stiff (Jun 5, 2007)

JohnRider said:


> That sounds great! Rum might also be an interesting choice.


That does sound interesting as well, maybe a spiced rum?


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## JSC (Apr 21, 2007)

Thats a very good idea, I might try it with some mediocre cigarillos that I have laying around.


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## Maduro_Scotty (Jun 1, 2007)

I like to put them in a baggie and place a good measuring cup of the Dalmore cigar malt with them. Interesting idea about the coffee beans, will have to do some experimenting.


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## mrgatorman (Mar 23, 2007)

many years ago, before my wife was my wife...I used to bar hop. Were talking Night clubs. One of the ways i would get the interest of girls. ws to smoke cigars infused with cinnamon that i made myself. Worked beautifully. i actually sold a bunch to other guys there too. 

i put a bunch of value sticks in a spaghetti contanier with cinnamon oil. and it took about a month.


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## tedski-cl (May 3, 2007)

Why not just drink the MM while smoking the cigar? Seems like you would get the full effect of the flavor.


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## leojvs (May 10, 2007)

oooh, I can see myself getting another bundle of cigars here. 5 coffee, 5 'Wolf Blass' Tawney Port, and I will think about the cinnamon ones too. THey sound interesting.


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## lawdaug_1 (Apr 19, 2007)

JohnRider said:


> I guess just about anything would work, and it is all about what YOU might like to infuse the cigar with. So, if you have some mediocre cigars laying around that you might not otherwise get around to smokin, give it a shot. I'd plan on leaving them sealed up in a container for at least a couple of weeks.


video review.do video review


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## Sam Leccia (Apr 14, 2007)

John,

That is a very cool experiment...


I wonder what flavors would come out if you infused cigars in a humidified room filled with wild dogs and explosive rockets.


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## Cameroon-swoon-cl (Apr 19, 2007)

JohnRider said:


> I wonder what plain old coffee beans would do? Put a cup full of nice oily black expresso beans in - maybe with a libation? That might be good.


Yeah - I was thinking about the Starbuck's Coffee liquor. I'm a big fan of coffee (not so much Starbuck's though) and would love to try that out.

This post is great, John. I had this idea about a year ago, but wasn't sure how to go about it. I guess I was on the right track - I thought about doing pretty much what you did, but then thought that that wasn't going to work. I'm curious though - what about humidification of the cigars. Does the libation you use provide that, or do you still need to add some distilled water?


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## 50dean (May 21, 2007)

*Inspired Infusion Project*

Hi John,

Since seeing your threads about infusing cigars, I took it upon myself to do thesame experiment here in Oregon. I am using(4)-Perdomo Slow Aged 826 cigars. First, the wrapper: your choice of a chestnut-brown Connecticut natural or a coffee-black Connecticut Broadleaf maduro. Each glistens with oils. Next comes the filler blend: Slow-Aged employs four different Nicaraguan long-leaf tobaccos, including a choice strain of ligero leaf that amps up the flavor profile just a touch. This complex blend results in a deliciously smooth, robust and vivacious flavor with creaminess and coffee-like notes.
The bourbon I'm using got 3rd over all, with a double gold, at the San Fran. Global Dist. Comp. in 1997 and is called Eagle Rare. 
http://www.sfspiritscomp.com/
I'm also using some 2-3 year old cigars that I bought off the internet. I don't remember who made them, but they're suppose to be Montecristo #2knock offs. I'll let the cigars rest in the jar for 5 weeks and then my friend and I'll smoke some. If I'm feeling nice I might give some away. I will give a progress report later. Wish me luck.

Dean


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## JohnR (Apr 1, 2007)

That looks like a good setup there...I like the crock. I think they will be quite infused in 2 or 3 weeks, but 5 can't hurt. Now, after that much time in a 100% humidity environment, we are going to have to figure out some way to bring them back to 70%. I would keep them far away from your humidor...lol...I guess you could just remove the liquor and open the lid a notch so they will slowly leak that extra humidity back out.


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## baboruger (Jun 18, 2007)

So how did this experiment end? Did they get better with time John?


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## JohnR (Apr 1, 2007)

About a week ago I moved the cigars from the "Infuser" (i.e. the coffee can) to a special humidor to dry out. The cigars are really almost damp after a month or so in the coffee can at 100% humidity. They should reach something resembling 70% humidity in another week or so. Then I'll give them a try! They smelled good!


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## JohnR (Apr 1, 2007)

By the way, 50dean, good choice of bourbon. I have that in my collection as well. A darn fine bourbon.


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## bobcat (Sep 17, 2007)

Any updates? Want to hear how this ended up


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## brianhewitt (Jul 10, 2007)

Man this is awesome! Dang it, now you got me wanting to try it too!



leojvs said:


> oooh, I can see myself getting another bundle of cigars here. 5 coffee, 5 'Wolf Blass' Tawney Port, and I will think about the cinnamon ones too. THey sound interesting.


Good call, good call! I may have to try this out with a little Taylor 20-year tawny...


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## Bigfoot (Jun 25, 2007)

Any one remember seeing the espresso cigar by Bahia a few years ago? 

At the foot of the box was about a 1/2 inch of space that was filled with espresso beans, then there was a barrier that separated the beans from the cigars. the cedar barrier had holes in it and on the other side the Cello was cut short on all of the cigars so the foot was exposed. The idea was to infuse the coffee flavor thru the foot of the cigar. I smoked a few, big Coffee flavor thru the first inch and then it faded after that.

Not a bad Idea, but when you displayed the boxes in a B&M Humidor, the beans would aways spill.


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## happy1 (Jun 29, 2007)

Yeah bro how are the MM infused cigars?


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## Lok17 (Jul 31, 2007)

wow, i am really curious as to how this turned out john!!!


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## JohnR (Apr 1, 2007)

I actually haven't tried one since shortly after they came out of the "infusing" coffee can. First, I observed that several of the cigars had split their wrappers - not sure why they would split AFTER being pulled out of the high humidity. You'd think they would split from swelling while being infused. Alright, so that is strike one. 

After sitting in my "pipe tobaccy" humidor for the last couple of months, I just pulled one out to try. As you might recall, these are some Rocky Patel Connecticut cigars of some sort that Cigars International was pumping like mad late last year. They are marginally "okay" cigars to begin with - certainly not the best that RP makes by any means. My first impression is pretty simple - I can't taste the bourbon in them at all. Other than perhaps improving the overall flavor a bit, I can't pick up anything at all that would ever lead me to believe they were "infused". So, I guess the result of my experiment is not too exciting. Perhaps coffee or some other flavor would yield better results. I will say this, however, this marginal stick tastes a lot better than I remember...but perhaps that is just the extra six months of age.


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## Gatormoye (May 23, 2007)

Do you think coffee would have worked better?


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## JohnR (Apr 1, 2007)

Yes, perhaps coffee would have worked better...

I am close to the halfway point on the cigar, and although I still don't taste anything that reminds me of bourbon, it is tasting better than I remember that stick ever tasting, so it is certainly no worse for wear, except for the few that now have wrapper splits. Having gone through that high-humidity cycle may have actually drawn some of the fertilizer and so forth out of the cigar or something. ???


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## Gatormoye (May 23, 2007)

I think age helps everything. Even the mild ones. I believe those cigars are very young to begin with. I might try some mild ones in some coffee. I don't drink, so coffe would apeal to me. By the way love the cabin view.


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## brianhewitt (Jul 10, 2007)

You may have already mentioned it (I scanned through quickly and didn't see it), but how long do you think is optimal to infuse the cigars? 2 or 3 weeks?

I wonder if you'd smoked them sooner than 6 months if you would have gotten more of the flavor out of them. Maybe 3 months of resting might have been better?

The other thing I was thinking is that I know some manufacturers age the leaves in special wood barrels, perhaps if you age them with some bourbon soaked cedar?

Regardless, it sounds like the end result was positive and worthwhile, even if you didn't get the flavor you were looking for! Very cool.


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## canney (Sep 2, 2007)

JohnRider said:


> I guess just about anything would work, and it is all about what YOU might like to infuse the cigar with. So, if you have some mediocre cigars laying around that you might not otherwise get around to smokin, give it a shot. I'd plan on leaving them sealed up in a container for at least a couple of weeks.


I was thinking. Under the weather, sore throat or whatever and you want a stogie???


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## brianhewitt (Jul 10, 2007)

canney said:


> I was thinking. Under the weather, sore throat or whatever and you want a stogie???


:lol: Nyquil cigars! Now there something that'll knock you flat out!

OK, I got one, how about lettin' 'em marinate in cologne for those times when you don't want to bother with using deodorant!

:roflmao: I just noticed the Preparation H!


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## Labman (May 27, 2007)

I've heard if you put a so-so cigar in with some nice pipe baccy for a while it can drastically improve the taste of the cigar. I can't remember where I heard it, but I think it was the DWSC.


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## Dun killin time (Jun 4, 2007)

I think this is the thread....http://www.cigarlive.com/forum/showthread.php?t=4610


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## PremiumsOnly (Jul 28, 2007)

JohnRider said:


> I actually haven't tried one since shortly after they came out of the "infusing" coffee can. First, I observed that several of the cigars had split their wrappers - *not sure why they would split AFTER being pulled out of the high humidity.* You'd think they would split from swelling while being infused. Alright, so that is strike one.


The culprit may just be drying them out too quickly from 100% to 70%, which will tend to stress the wrapper causing the split, analogous to how an untempered glass will crack when taken from a hot dishwasher and filled with cold water too quickly.

You may want to stage your drying out (much like you stage your re-humidification for a dried out stogie) to prevent splitting in future experiments.


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## mansonicman (Sep 12, 2007)

Allow me to offer my humble opinion, here is what i did.
I used another humidor and put a couple of cigars in it that i wanted to try that with, also i took a shot glass and filled it up with my favorite WILD TURKEY 101 and kept refilling it everytime it evaporated for a about 6 to 7 months. Man was i blown away it was like i was smoking a drink of W/T 101. Now that may have been partly due to my love for W/T101 (taste buds) or it could have been that they actually abosorbed it all, but i know one thing all that Bourbon certainly went somewhere.....

Respectfully Submitted,

MansonicMan...!!!


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## canney (Sep 2, 2007)

Hey John
Hows this going?


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## nciovino (Nov 9, 2007)

I have done this for a friend a while ago because i knew he liked scotch. He said he enjoyed them ( but i never tried them so i dont know if it did make a difference). I am in the process of doing coffee beans with a Macanudo gold label ( wanted something mild so the flavor would show up) i put a few beads in i took from a friend to keep the humidity right. 

Also I am going to do it again with the scotch, with beads this time. Also going to try to maybe wet the beads with the scotch, but i dont know how it will work. Trying to get this down pat. 

Isnt this how Drew Estate does their cigars?


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## JohnR (Apr 1, 2007)

canney said:


> Hey John
> Hows this going?


My experiment kinda fizzled. The cigars ended up not really picking up much flavor once they dropped back down to normal humidity levels. Oh, well.


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## PremiumsOnly (Jul 28, 2007)

JohnRider said:


> My experiment kinda fizzled. The cigars ended up not really picking up much flavor once they dropped back down to normal humidity levels. Oh, well.


Just had a thought... It would take a bit of engineering, but one might try pumping all the air out of the canister before injecting the flavor infusion. This would vaporize it and definitely provide better infusion.

You'd have to have one of those gizmos that can pump air out of canisters and modify the canister with a seal of silicone or similar to allow for hypodermic injection without breaking the air seal. Who knows, maybe after development, you market the thing! I don't think I have enough interest to see to it, but thought I would post it and see if anyone else may wish to tinker with it.


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## Slow Triathlete (Jun 14, 2007)

One of the shops that I was in down in Charleston does something very similar to what you did John. They use a cigar jar and fill the humidifier with Makers Mark and age them in it for a couple of months and then bring the humidity back down. They said that it's one of their best selling cigars. They smelled nice but I didn't buy one.


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## BigBuddha76 (Mar 15, 2005)

there were a couple of boom cigars that were infused (Sublimado and Incomparable) they werwe ok considering the crap tobacco used during the time, but I found one in a shop that has ALOT of well aged cigars that no one seems to buy. the scotch flavor had kindof worn off after the 10 years it had been sitting there, it did become a slightly better cigar though.

If anyone is in Quakertown PA on the weekends check out Cigars unlimited in the Quakertown Farmers market, Diane (the owner) has many boxes of cigars there that have a massive amount of age on them. (Kaybee used to manage the store, and I worked there part time for a while.)


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## Itsme-Speedy-G (Aug 20, 2007)

Now I have to go get some espresso beans and try it. maybe some sambuka


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## Deuce Da Masta (Dec 4, 2006)

I say try this with some Fruit Punch and make some CAO flavours!


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## PV1191 (Dec 9, 2007)

I was doing this 12 or 14 years ago. Long before the new age "flavoured" cigars hit the market. After alot of work ,and alot of messed up cigars, here is what I found works best. First off think SLOW. I am also a firm believer that if you start with crappy cigars and crappy liquor you will end up with a crappy product. Nuff said. Find a cigar you like and make sure it is properly seasoned. Putting them in a seperate unflavored humidor with a hunidity level of 60 to 65% for a week or so will help speed up the infusion process and should eliminate splitting. 

Prepare a seperate humidor and be sure it is properly seasoned. A inexpensive way is to use plasitc sealable containers. prep them as you would a temporary or overflow humidor. Cedar planks work great for the inside. Once ready dilute the beverage of choice by 50% with distilled water. Using it full strength produced a very strong infusion too fast. You can use an open shot glass but I found keeping the proper humidity level is hard. I used a new unscented spunge. Damp the sponge with the 50/50 mixture and place the sponge inside and monitor the humidity closely for the first several days. Once the humidity is constant, let them sit for several weeks and add more of the 50/50 mixture as needed. Try the cigars during the infusion process. There is no hard and fast rule. Taste is subjective. So when they are flavored to your liking remove the 50/50 sponge and replace with a regular distilled water device. The cedar will have absorbed much of the flavor and keep the cigars at a relatively constant level of infusion for as long as you need. If you leave the 50/50 solution in they will become over saturated and taste like garbage. In this case more is NOT better. Once finished do not place them back with the rest of your stock unless you want everything inside to have flavor also.

Kind of long winded but it took quite a bit of trial and error to figure it out. Let me know if you have any questions.


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## leojvs (May 10, 2007)

Im reviving this!

My gf suggested that we make some kahlua cigars, as we both have a love for kahlua. Sure I could go and buy some, but making them is more fun. I will be making some coffee infused too. I have a bundle coming in the post this week, so by next weekend, I will have them in jars, absorbing the flavour!
We will b going to Gloria Jeans and picking out some nice aramatic beans. Mmmmm.

Will be posting pics for sure!

BTW, notices mansonic man is banned. What gives? Waddy do??


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## Itsme-Speedy-G (Aug 20, 2007)

leojvs said:


> Im reviving this!
> 
> My gf suggested that we make some kahlua cigars, as we both have a love for kahlua. Sure I could go and buy some, but making them is more fun. I will be making some coffee infused too. I have a bundle coming in the post this week, so by next weekend, I will have them in jars, absorbing the flavour!
> We will b going to Gloria Jeans and picking out some nice aramatic beans. Mmmmm.
> ...


I did that with 12yr old h. upman cigars and whole espresso beans. I layered the beans and cigars. great morning smoke. 
I liked the whole beans due to more oil..


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## big04deuce (May 16, 2008)

I have some in some chocolate port right now. Just waiting a couple more weeks.


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## nativetexan_1 (Jan 1, 2008)

Haven't tried it, but it looks like a good idea.


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## sseagle (Jun 5, 2008)

hmmm, not a bad idea.. I've had trouble finding the Makers Mark cigars since I left Kentucky... I have a buddy that only smokes those, they aren't half bad


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## leojvs (May 10, 2007)

Well, on the 20th of this month, I put 6 cheap cigars from a bundle, in a glass jar, in my kitchen cupboard, with a shot glass of ground up "Irish Creme" infused beans. Not only does thiscoffee bean smell GREAT, it brews up nicely too. With a dash of Tia Maria its brilliant!

I opened the jar today, to remove the %humi device and the smell was brilliant! I will give them about 2 months, and try one. Then after total 5-6 months, Ill pull them out, and give them a try. Ill compair them to the ones I have just left in my humi to sit. For referance the cigar is the Value Line Dom #200 Corona. Not a flash cigar at all. Hopefully, this wont go too pair shaped due to an average cigar. Oh well. If it tuns out ok, Ill get a better bundle and re-do it.

Ill keep you all informed.

-Joel-


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## mikejh-cl (Jun 19, 2007)

im interested in how this turns out, keep us posted


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## HTOWNBLKGOLFR (May 1, 2007)

learn something new every day ....


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## KhaoticMedic (Mar 4, 2008)

Can I or should I try with like Tullamore? :leph:


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## PV1191 (Dec 9, 2007)

KhaoticMedic said:


> Can I or should I try with like Tullamore? :leph:


It should work just fine


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## mdj65 (Jun 22, 2008)

I got to try this, how long do you leave them in there?


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## PV1191 (Dec 9, 2007)

here is my post from page 2



pv1191 said:


> I was doing this 12 or 14 years ago. Long before the new age "flavoured" cigars hit the market. After alot of work ,and alot of messed up cigars, here is what I found works best. First off think SLOW. I am also a firm believer that if you start with crappy cigars and crappy liquor you will end up with a crappy product. Nuff said. Find a cigar you like and make sure it is properly seasoned. Putting them in a seperate unflavored humidor with a hunidity level of 60 to 65% for a week or so will help speed up the infusion process and should eliminate splitting.
> 
> Prepare a seperate humidor and be sure it is properly seasoned. A inexpensive way is to use plasitc sealable containers. prep them as you would a temporary or overflow humidor. Cedar planks work great for the inside. Once ready dilute the beverage of choice by 50% with distilled water. Using it full strength produced a very strong infusion too fast. You can use an open shot glass but I found keeping the proper humidity level is hard. I used a new unscented spunge. Damp the sponge with the 50/50 mixture and place the sponge inside and monitor the humidity closely for the first several days. Once the humidity is constant, let them sit for several weeks and add more of the 50/50 mixture as needed. Try the cigars during the infusion process. There is no hard and fast rule. Taste is subjective. So when they are flavored to your liking remove the 50/50 sponge and replace with a regular distilled water device. The cedar will have absorbed much of the flavor and keep the cigars at a relatively constant level of infusion for as long as you need. If you leave the 50/50 solution in they will become over saturated and taste like garbage. In this case more is NOT better. Once finished do not place them back with the rest of your stock unless you want everything inside to have flavor also.
> 
> Kind of long winded but it took quite a bit of trial and error to figure it out. Let me know if you have any questions.


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